On Tuesday evening, action from Round 1 of High Stakes Duel 5 hit the airwaves, exclusively on PokerGO. The battle between Hall of Famer Patrik Antonius and Sports Card King Jared Bleznick – also referred to as 'The Backer' – saw each of the two combatants pony up the requisite $50,000 to take part in Round 1 of the latest installment of High Stakes Duel.
Both players agreed to a mix of No-Limit Hold'em and Pot-Limit Omaha as the format for their heads-up match, with each game played for 10 hands before switching to the other.
Patrik Antonius squared off against Jared Bleznick in Round 1 of High Stakes Duel 5. Bleznick came ready to blast and he started proceedings with multiple bluffs – some of which Antonius picked off and others that got through. Either way, Bleznick made an early statement that he was there to play his game and not let his opponent dictate the action. Antonius, meanwhile, did what he does best: remain stoic and rake in chips. But after starting out strong, Antonius saw his initial chip lead slip away as Bleznick clawed back to even.
Antonius draws early blood
After Bleznick drew even, the first two big pots of the duel went Antonius' way to leave The Backer with his back against the wall. The first hand saw Antonius raise to $1,000 from the button with 
. Bleznick defended his big blind with 
and the two players went to the 
flop. With top two pair, Antonius continued for $500 and Bleznick floated with his six-high holding. The turn 
improved his holding and Bleznick checked over to his opponent with devious intentions in mind. Antonius, still loving his hand, opted for an over-bet sizing – $4,500 into the $3,000 pot.
Facing an aggressive move, Bleznick responded in kind and raised to $12,000. Antonius considered his options for a moment before making the call. On the river 
, Bleznick wisely pumped the brakes on his bluff with a check. Antonius now faced a decision on whether to check or bet and, on the surface, it appears an easy bet. With poor clarity as to which lesser hands Bleznick calls a bet with, however, it's not as clear-cut as it seems. Thus, Antonius opted for the check-back and showed down the winner to scoop in the $27,000 pot. "I win," Antonius said as he revealed his cards. "I know I win."
The very next hand off of the deck saw both players dealt pocket pairs. With his 
, Bleznick raised from the button to $1,000. Antonius looked down at 
and three-bet to $4,400. Bleznick weighed his options for a moment, but eventually tossed in a few chips for a call, taking the two to the 
flop. With his middle set, Antonius opted for a down-bet sizing – just $2,500 into the $8,800 in the middle. Bleznick wasn't done with the hand just yet and continued with a call.
Patrik Antonius won back-to-back pots to take an early lead in Round 1 of High Stakes Duel 5. The turn didn't deter Antonius from betting once more, to the tune of $6,000. Likewise, the overcard didn't deter Bleznick from continuing with another call, despite his hand downgrading even further to fourth pair. The river was about as blank as it gets and Antonius eyed up his opponent's stack before moving all-in. With just over a pot-sized bet left behind, Bleznick took a moment before sliding his cards back to the dealer.
Bleznick mounts comeback victory
Despite seeing his stack reduced to less than half of its starting point, Bleznick continued to battle and cobbled together multiple pots – by hook or by crook – to give himself some breathing room. Bleznick found joy in the PLO rounds, in particular. After once again clawing his way back towards even, he pounced on a bluff to take the chip lead.
Bleznick: 
Antonius: 
Board: 
With $14,000 in the middle on the river, Bleznick fired a near-pot-sized bet of $13,500 with his underpair to the board. Patrik, having turned a straight, went into the tank as he stared down his opponent. Eventually, the Finn slid his cards back to the dealer.
After taking the chip lead, Bleznick's momentum continued as he widened the gap between his stack and Antonius'. Much like his opponent earlier in the match, Antonius refused to go quietly and clawed his way back to near even. Then, the two players clashed in a pot that most would consider a cooler in a heads-up battle.
Bleznick:
Antonius:
Flop: 
After raising preflop from the button, Bleznick connected with top two pair while his opponent made a strong top pair. Antonius checked over to Bleznick, who continued for $2,000. In the face of a bet, Antonius opted to check-raise to $6,500 with an under-repped hand. Bleznick responded with another raise – to $14,000 – and, after some deliberation, Antonius opted to put all his chips in the middle. With the covering stack and a monster hand, Bleznick snap-called the bet and the cards hit their backs.
Patrik Antonius tossed in the red flag to run it back on High Stakes Duel. The turn all but locked it up for Bleznick as Antonius was drawing to just one out 
for a chop and the 
confirmed his victory.
Immediately, Antonius threw the red flag into the center of the table to issue the challenge for Round 2.
Images Courtesy of PokerGO
